Washer for a snap fastener

ABSTRACT

A washer for use in a snap fastener is adapted to be placed over the lower part of a snap fastener component so that the washer rests between the fabric and the lower part of the snap fastener. The upper part of the snap fastener is placed over the fabric and is pressed into place by a tool press. The washer is made of a resilient material, such as plastic or rubber, which is then squeezed by the tool press to fill in any gaps that would allow water to leak through. In its unassembled state, the washer consists of a flat ring surrounding a center protrusion, which is hollow on its inside. To assemble the snap fastener, the center protrusion is placed over the central post of the lower part of the snap fastener. The central post with the washer is then inserted through a hole in the fabric to which the snap fastener is to be attached.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washer for a snap fastener. In particular, the invention relates to a washer that prevents water from leaking through clothing on which the snap fastener is mounted.

2. The Prior Art

Snap fasteners are comprised of two components that snap into each other to secure two sections of fabric to each other, such as on a coat. The female portion of the snap fastener comprises a lower section with a post that fits through a hole in the fabric, and an upper section that snaps on to the post, over the fabric, so that the fabric is secured between the upper and lower sections. A male portion of the snap fastener is secured to fabric in a similar fashion and then snapped into the female portion to secure two pieces of fabric to each other.

One of the problems with mounting snap fasteners on fabric is that water can leak through the hole in the fabric that was cut to allow the snap fastener to be attached. This can be very problematic, especially when the snap fastener is attached to outdoor clothing, such as rain and snow jackets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device that blocks any water from passing through the hole in the fabric that is used to accommodate a snap fastener.

This object is accomplished by a washer adapted to be placed over the lower part of one of the snap fastener components so that the washer rests between the fabric and the bottom part of the snap fastener. The upper part of the snap fastener is placed over the fabric and is pressed into place by a tool press. The washer is made of a resilient material, such as plastic or rubber, which is then squeezed by the tool press to fill in any gaps that would allow water to leak through. In its unassembled state, the washer consists of a flat ring surrounding a center protrusion, which is hollow on its inside. To assemble the snap fastener, the center protrusion is placed over the central post of the lower part of the snap fastener. The central post with the washer is then inserted through a hole in the fabric to which the snap fastener is to be attached.

A tool press is then used to press the upper part down over the central post and into a final position. During the pressing, the washer is compressed and squeezed to fill in any empty space between the bottom part and top part, so that no water can leak through. The tool press also compresses the top of the center post so that it forms a barrier to keep the top part in place.

The central protrusion has an outer contour that forms a sidewall, a shoulder section and a closed top. The shoulder section has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the sidewall and greater than the diameter of the aperture in the upper part. Thus, when the upper part is pressed onto the central post with the washer placed thereon, the upper part presses on the shoulder section and deforms it so that the shoulder section is pressed on top of the fabric. This way, the edge of the hole in the fabric is completely surrounded by the washer. The washer also fills in any empty spaces between the upper and lower parts, so that no water can penetrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional snap fastener female portion attached to a section of fabric;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the washer according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the washer;

FIGS. 4-7 show cross-sectional views of a snap fastener portion being assembled with the washer using a tool press; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the fully assembled snap fastener portion with washer, along with a corresponding male snap fastener portion, also having the washer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1 shows a typical female snap fastener component according to the state of the art. The snap fastener component consists of a lower part 20 having a central post 22 and a surrounding flange 21. A layer of fabric 30 having a hole 31 is placed over central post 21 and an upper part 10 is secured in place over fabric 30, usually with a pressing tool. The disadvantage to this configuration is that water can enter the space between the upper and lower parts, as shown by the arrows, as well as through the central hole in the top part, and can cause the snap fastener to leak. This is a big disadvantage if the snap fastener is being used on outdoor clothing, such as rain or snow jackets.

Accordingly, the present invention presents a solution by supplying a washer 40, which is placed between lower part 20 and upper part 10. Washer 40, which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is made of a resilient material, such as rubber or plastic. Washer 40 consists of a central protrusion 42 having a hollow inner cavity 46 and which is surrounded by a flange 41. Protrusion 42 is formed by a sidewall 43, a shoulder section 44 and a closed top 45. Shoulder section 44 has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of sidewall 43.

The assembly of washer 40 onto a snap fastener component is shown in FIGS. 4-7. First, washer 40 is placed on lower part 20 so that interior cavity 46 covers central post 22 and flange 41 of washer 40 is disposed on top of surrounding flange 21 of lower part 20. Then, central post 22 and protrusion 42 are inserted through a hole 31 in fabric 30. A tool press 15 is placed within sidewall 12 of upper part 10. Tool press 15 then presses upper part 10 down onto washer 40, as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, as upper part 10 is pressed against shoulder section 44 of washer 40, shoulder section 44 becomes deformed and bulges out around the top of fabric 30. Thus, washer 40 ends up completely surrounding edge 32 of hole 31 of fabric 30, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, flange 41 is pressed down on surrounding flange 21 to create a water-tight seal between upper part 10 and lower part 20. In the final stages of pressing, tool press 15 causes top 45 of washer 40 to break, and the top of central post 22 to be deformed and spread out, along the contour of bottom 16 of tool press 15. This spreading of central post 22 creates a cap 25 to prevent upper part 10 from becoming disengaged from lower part 20. Washer 40 also fills in any space between aperture 13 of upper part 10 and central post 22 of lower part 20 to ensure that no water can pass into the interior of the snap fastener.

The fully assembled female snap fastener component is shown in FIG. 8, along with a corresponding male snap fastener component. After pressing, washer 40, 400 fills in any gaps between upper part 10, 100 fabric 30, 300 and lower part 20, 200 to seal out any water and prevent leakage through the snap fastener components. The washer according to the present invention is a simple way to prevent water from leaking through the snap fastener to the interior of the garment.

Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A washer configured to be placed in a snap fastener, comprising: a central protrusion having a hollow inner cavity, a top and a bottom; and a flange extending outward around the bottom of the central protrusion, wherein the washer is made of a resilient material such that the washer is deformed when placed between components of a snap fastener and pressure is applied.
 2. The washer according to claim 1, wherein the central protrusion has an outer contour with a sidewall, a shoulder portion and a top, the shoulder portion having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the sidewall.
 3. A snap fastener component comprising: a lower part comprising a bottom plate and a central post extending up from the bottom plate; an upper part comprising a flange with an aperture therethrough; and a washer made of resilient material and comprising a central protrusion having a hollow inner cavity, a top and a bottom, and a flange extending outward around the bottom of the central protrusion, wherein in an assembled state, the inner cavity of the washer covers the central post of the lower part, the central protrusion and central post extend through a hole in a section of fabric, and the upper part is disposed over the central protrusion and central post and pressed in place, so that the washer is deformed and fills any remaining empty space between the upper part and lower part.
 4. The snap fastener component according to claim 3, wherein the component is a female snap fastener component.
 5. The snap fastener component according to claim 3, wherein the component is a male snap fastener component.
 6. The snap fastener component according to claim 3, wherein the central protrusion of the washer comprises a sidewall, a shoulder section and a top, wherein the shoulder section has a larger diameter than a diameter of the sidewall, and wherein the aperture of the upper part has a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the shoulder section, so that when the upper part is pressed onto the protrusion, the shoulder section is deformed and is pressed underneath the upper part.
 7. The snap fastener component according to claim 6, wherein the shoulder section of the washer is deformed by the upper part to extend around an edge of the hole in the fabric.
 8. A method for assembling a snap fastener comprising a lower part with a bottom plate and a central post extending up from the bottom plate, an upper part comprising a flange with an aperture therethrough, and a washer made of resilient material and comprising a central protrusion having a hollow inner cavity, a top, a bottom, and a flange extending outward around the bottom of the central protrusion, the method comprising the following steps: placing the washer over the lower part so that the central post extends into the inner cavity of the washer so that the washer covers the lower part, inserting the protrusion of the washer and central post of the lower part through a hole in a section of fabric, placing the upper part on a tool press, and pressing the tool press with the upper part onto the washer and lower part until the washer is deformed, the central post extends through the aperture in the upper part, and the central post is deformed and extends beyond an edge of the aperture of the upper part to secure the upper part to the lower part.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the central protrusion in the washer has a sidewall, a shoulder portion and a top, the shoulder portion having a diameter greater than a diameter of the sidewall, and wherein during the step of pressing, the upper part presses on the shoulder and deforms the shoulder so that the shoulder extends around an edge of the hole in the fabric.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein during the step of pressing, the top of the central protrusion of the washer is broken and the central post extends through the top of the central protrusion. 